Tajikistan are one of four countries whose FIFA U-17 World Cup Qatar 2025™ squad was bolstered by FIFA Talent Academy players as the impact of the FIFA Talent Development Scheme (TDS) is felt on the global stage for the very first time. The TDS was launched in 2023 with the aim of creating a pathway to the professional game for every talented young player in each of FIFA’s 211 Member Associations (MA) worldwide. A cornerstone of the programme is the FIFA Talent Academy, an elite training centre within each MA where the very best young footballers can develop their skills under the guidance of qualified coaches.

FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger, who is a driving force behind the TDS, has set a goal of 75 FIFA Talent Academies established by 2027. Forty-two are already officially at work under the supervision of a FIFA Talent Coach, who not only educates local coaches but also establishes a network that will ensure top-grade educators are available across the country and for generations to come. Those efforts are already paying off with no fewer than 21 players who participated in the group stage of the 48-team tournament in Qatar having benefitted from the top-grade facilities and expert knowledge provided by their country’s FIFA Talent Academy.

“I think this FIFA project is the best project in the last 10 years because FIFA understood – well they understood a long time ago – that the most important age is 17 years old,” said Tajikistan coach Marco Ragini, who included Tajikistan’s FIFA Talent Academy attendees Munavar Anvarzod and Shukhrat Nurmatov in his final tournament squad. “Because at 17 years old, we understand if they will become a real football player or a normal football player. We must invest and give them experience.” “One of the unique experiences that this project offered us was the opportunity to train together under foreign coaches, which enabled us to develop our talent,” added Anvarzod, who – like Nurmatov – is aged 15. “Our main goal is to work hard every day and reach our best level. Thanks to this project, I am now playing for the U-17 national team.” Bolivia (three players), Costa Rica (six) and the United Arab Emirates (10) were the other countries competing in Qatar whose challenge was fuelled by players developed in their local FIFA Talent Academy.

The TDS is part of FIFA’s holistic approach to raising standards around the world and is giving young players more opportunities than ever before to play on the global stage. This year saw the first FIFA U-17 World Cup™ and FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup™ of a new era with both tournaments newly expanded – to 24 teams in the latter case – and made annual events having previously taken place once every two years. “To have the FIFA U-17 World Cup every year, they get more possibilities to understand what it means to play football at a high level. For example, in my group, I have players who were born in 2008, and unfortunately next year, they change age and they can’t play,” said Ragini. “But I have a lot of players born in 2009, a lot of players born in 2010. And these guys have the possibility to take the experience this year and to bring the previous experience for the next year. And this is very good. I really appreciate this format.”

Tajikistan were making only their third appearance in the tournament and the first since 2019. With the TDS already beginning to produce international-level players despite only being launched in September 2024, optimism is high among the football community in the Central Asian country that the future will see more frequent participations in global tournaments. The Tajikistan Football Federation (TFF) are continuing to put in place the groundwork required for sustained success having already benefitted from more than USD 1 million in funds from the FIFA Forward Programme that helped establish the country’s youth football ecosystem. While the FIFA Talent Academy currently trains 25 promising youngsters, the TFF is now set to open a new elite training centre in the mountainous Varzob region to turbo-charge football development by forging a generation that grows in the game together.

“With the new centre, I think that we will improve in a shorter period of time, especially in a technical way. This is the way the guys stay together, and they improve how they live together. Because now, at international level, there are a lot of camps, a lot of championships and tournaments, and the guys must understand that to work in football, they must be professional from a young age,” explained Ragini. “And to become professional, they must live together, spend more time together – as much time as possible. And this is a good opportunity – the Federation’s new technical centre – to increase the level for the guys. Because football is not only 90 minutes on the pitch, football is 24 hours a day, and this is a good option for us.” “This will be the second FIFA Talent Academy project to open in Tajikistan. It will be a valuable opportunity for young players,” added Nurmatov. “I can tell you that being part of the FIFA Talent Academy gave us the chance to get to this level. I have a lot of positive feelings, and I would like to tell young players that they can achieve anything if they train hard enough.”